Box-car.



W. E. FOWLER, SR. BOX GAR.

APFUCATION FILED FEB. Z1, 19!? 1,234,324. Patented July 24, 1917.

a SHEETSISHEET l.

W. E. FOWLER, SR.

I BOX CAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2h 19H.

Patented July 24, 1917. 3 SHEETSSHEET 2 W. E. FOWLER, Sn.

BOX CAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21.1917- Patented July 24, 1917.

3 SHEETS -SHEIET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. FOWLER, $3., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FOWLER GAECOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BOX-CAB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1917.

Application filed. February 21, 1917. Serial No. 150,038.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. FOWLER, Sn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BoX-Gars,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway cars and has particular reference to anovel frame construction for cars of the Fowler type.

An object in the present invention is to provide a particularly strongand rigid connection between the frame posts and plates of a box carframe. It is desirable in some instances to employ U-shaped posts, thechannel in the posts facing toward the in side of the car, the marginsof the channel being provided with lateral flanges by means of which thesheathing is secured to the posts. Difficulty has been experienced inrigidly securing such posts to the adjacent frame members and thepresent inventi-on is thought to overcome such difficulties in asatisfactory manner.

A further object is to provide a corner post which will withstand theexcessive shocks and blows incident to service and to provide for theattachment of the adjacent frame members in a rigid manner. The desiredresult is secured by utilizing a standard commercial channel, the web ofwhich is bent on a longitudinal line.

A further object is to improve the door .post construction of freightcars and this result is accomplished by utilizing a standard channelsection which is likewise bent on a longitudinal line, the side edges ofthe channel being bent inwardly, whereby a post which is substantiallysquare in cross section is produced. Such a post combines the qualitiesof strength and rigidity and lends itself particularly well to themounting of the door adja'centthereto.

In single sheath cars of the type referred to it has been found thatcertain leakage occurs at a point above the top sheathing board and afurther object in the present invention is to provide a seal which willeffectually obviate the entrance of moisture at that point.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevationof a box car constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing the form ofconnection between the vertical post and the plate;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing the form of connection at the junctionof a vertical and diagonal post;

- Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form of connectionbetween the vertical and diagonal posts and plate and illustrating inaddition a form of sealing means between the wooden sheathing and theframe;

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 9 is an elevation partly in section of the same construction;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of the corner construction;

Fig. 11 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation taken at right angles to that of Fig. 10,

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a novel door post constrriction, and

Fig. 14 is a similar view of a modified form of door in which its valueas a stop is shown.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will beseen that a carconstructed in accordance with my invention may include a side sill 20,end sill 21, side plate 22 and end plate 23. Vertical posts 24 anddiagonal posts 25 connect the side sill and side plate, a corner post 26serving the same purpose at the corner of the car. Door posts 27, 28,respectively best shown in Figs. 1 and 13, outline the door opening.

The connecting means between the vertical and diagonal posts and theplate comprise the devices best shown in Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive. In Fig.2 the connection between a vertical post and plate is shown. The post 24is of generally U-shape in cross section, the channel being open towardthe inside of the car. Relatively wide flanges 29 are provided in orderto give ample space within which holes may be punched for sheathingfastening bolts 30. The fastening member comprises a sheet of metal ofgenerally triangular form, bent to provide a horizontal flange 31, whichwalls thereof.

underlies the horizontal flange 32 of the Z- bar plate 22 and is locatedin a plane above the extremity of the post 24. These cooperating flangesprovide ample area for attaching rivets 33; The fastening member is alsobent to provide a channel portion 34 which snugly engages the exteriorof the channel of the post and provides for a plurality offasteningrrivets 35 in the side The metal displaced at the top' inshearing and bending the member is bent to provide lateral ears orflanges 36 extending longitudinally of the plate and a similar ear orflange .37 bent inwardly from the channel portion 34 and extendingtransversely of the plate. A very rigid connection is thus provided.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the same form of connection is adapted foruse in joining the vertical anddiagonal posts to the plate. The diagonalpost 25 is of the same construction as the post 24 and the fasteningdevice is similarly formed. It comprises a body portion 38 which lies ina plane just above the flanges 29, 39 of the vertical and diagonalpostsrespectively, two channels 40,

.41, fitting the vertical and diagonal chan- V nels respectively and asingle horizontal forweb thereof, the flanges of the channel pro-' bentto form the post indicated generally by. the numeral 26, the web of thechannel being bent on a longitudinal line midway of wardly-extendingflange 42 which underlies w the plate-and overlies the extremities ofthe posts. In this case the fastening rivets 4'3, 44, are passed throughthe body portion 38 of the member and the flanges 29, 39 of the posts.This likewise forms a very secure connection inasmuch as the strength ofthe rivets is not alone relied upon for holding the parts. In Figs. 7 to9 a slightly modified form of connection is shown. A11 attaching membercomprises the plate '45, which lies outside of'the posts and is providedwith an inwardly projecting horizontal flange 46, which overlies theends of the posts and underlies the flange 47 of the Z-bar plate.Attaching rivets are passed through the portion of the attaching memberand the U-shaped member of the posts 24, 25, while vertical rivets jointhe flanges 46, 47. This is a simple form of connection and may be founddesirable in some instances.

The specific manner of constructing the U-shaped post is not important.However, I have shown the posts as composed of a standard commercialchannel, the web of which is bent backWa-rdly on two longitudinal lines,thus producing a channel. from the jecting laterally in oppositedirections from the margins of the members thus formed.

In the corner post construction shown in Figs. 1, 1O12, a similarexpedient is adopted, that is, the standard channel. is

or the driving force of rain.

the width of the web, thereby forming an angle, the margins of whichterminate in lateral flanges 48, 49, extending at right angles to eachother and at right angles to the side walls which they embrace. -At thetop of the post the flanges 48, 49, are sheared off, the angle alonebeing offset or deflected to accommodate the ends of the side and endplates 22, 23. Fastening rivets 50, 51, rigidly secure the partstogether. The horizontal flanges 52, 53, respectively of the side andend plates are secured to the flanges 49, 48, of the corner post bymeans of flanged gussets 54, 55. This forms an extremely rigidconnection between the parts and provides a post which will withstandmuch shock and stress without material damage.

The door posts 27, 28, are similarly constructed, that is, a commercialchannel is bent on a longitudinal line midway of the width of the web,the flanges being bent toward each other to form in effect a box girder.As shown in Fig. 13, the post is substantially square in cross section,heavy sections of metal outlining the opening, while thinner sections ofmetal are utilized for connecting the interior sheathing 56 and a doorstop 57 for the door 58. It will be seen that this construction readilylends itself to cooperation with the door.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 14, the idea is utilized inconnection with the post against which the door is stopped. In thatfigure the flanges 59, 60, constitute guiding abutments, these flangesbeing unchanged in form from their original commercial form. The web 61,acts as a stop for the door. An effective seal is thus provided as anyrain, snow ordust which may enter around the margin of the'door will bereceived in the dead air space 62, in the post and cannot enter into thecar.

In Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive provision is made for sealing the top board.It has been found under certain circumstances that water has a tendencyto enter over the top board of a single sheath car, either due tocapillarity To obviate such difficulty I provide a kerf 59, in the topboard 60 and rivet an angular member in the form of a Z-bar 61 to theweb of'the Z-bar plate 22. .The length of the member which engages thekerf may be such as to compensate for slight movements of the boards butnot so long as to interfere with the insertion of the boards whenbuilding the car or repairing the sides.

While I have shown the gussets and con-. necting plates as formed frompressed metal, it will be understood that castings may be employed inplace thereof and that other modifications may be made, all withoutdeparture from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination of a framepost for cars composed ofa standard channel bent on itself on a longitudinal line substantiallymidway of the width of the web, the original flanges of the channeldefining two sides of the square post thus formed, a single sheathingsecured to the inside of said post, and a door slidably mounted outsideof the post, substantially as described.

2. In a single sheath car, the combination of frame members, horizontalsheathing boards, the uppermost of which lies behind a frame member andis provided with a kerf in its upper edge, and an angle secured to aframe member and occupying said kerf, substantially as described.

3. In a car frame, the combination of sills and plates, posts connectingthe same, said posts being of generally U-shape, the channel of which isopen toward the inside of the car, and an attaching member for unitingthe posts and plates, said attaching member being bent to provide aportion. for engagement with the web of the post and a portion in theform of a horizontal flange adapted tolie against the upper extremity ofthe post and beneath the attaching flange of the car plate,substantially as described.

4. In a steel frame for box cars, the com bination of a flanged sideplate, a corner post bent in the form of an angle and ha ving laterallyprojecting marginal flanges, and a flanged gusset plate riveted to theprojecting flanges of the plate and post, substantially as described.

5. In a steel frame for box cars, the combination of a flanged sideplate, a flanged end plate, a corner post formed into an angle havinglaterally projecting flanges, and gusset plates interposed at thejunction of the post and plates and riveted to the projecting flangesthereof, substantially as described 6. In a steel frame car, thecombination of flanged side and end plates, a corner post formed of anangle and provided with angular, marginal flanges, said flanges beingterminated at the point of engagement with said plates, the post beingdirectly riveted to said plates, and flanged gusset plates interposed atthe junction of the post and plates and riveted to the projectingflanges thereof, substantially as described.

7. In a steel frame box car, the combination of a car plate having ahorizontal flange, a U-shaped post which terminates at a point beneathsaid flange, and a fastening plate having a vertical portion and ahorizontal portion, the horizontal portion being interposed between theupper end of the post and the flange of said car plate, said fasteningplate being riveted to the post and to the flange of said car plate,substantlally as described.

S. In a steel frame for cars, the combination of a U-shaped post havinga. relatively wide marginal flange, a car plate having a horizontalflange beneath which the post terminates, a uniting plate whichlies'outside of said post and is riveted to that web of the post whichextends parallel to the side of the car, said uniting plate having anangularly bent portion which overlies the end of the post and is rivetedto the horizontal flange of said plate, and a single interior sheathingsecured to the post by means of its said lateral flange, substantiallyas described.

9. In a steel frame for cars, the combination of a side plate having ahorizontal flange, a vertical and a diagonal frame post of generallyU-shape, a single uniting plate lying outside of said posts and rivetedto the webs thereof, said plate having a horizontal portion whichoverlies the tops of said posts and is riveted to the horizontal flangeof said plate, substantially as described.

10. A quadrilateral hollow metal post for cars, one of the sides ofwhich is longer than either of the other sides, substantially asdescribed.

11. A quadrilateral right-angled metal post for cars, a wall of the postperpendicular to the side of the car being materially longer than eith rof the other walls, substantially as described.

12. A metal post for cars substantially in the form of a hollow squarein cross section, a wall of the post which is perpendicular to the sideof the car being materially longer than any of the other walls wherebyan opening is provided for the reception of the edge of a door,substantially as described.

13. A hollow metal post for cars formed from a commercial channel bentto provide a relatively deep wall which is perpendicular to the side ofthe car and which is providcdwith a tapered marginal flange and twowalls which are relatively shorter than the first mentioned wall one ofwhich last mentioned walls is also perpendicular to the side of the carand which likewise terminates in a marginal flange whereby a groove isprovided which is outlined by the two marginal flanges which originallyconstituted the flanges of the channel, substantially as described.

14. In a frame for cars, the combination of a door post in the form of ahollow rectangle, the marginal edges of the member being bent to form apost provided with angular flanges which extend in parallel lines andare spaced apart for cooperation of a door therewith, substantially asdescribed.

15. A door construction for cars including a hollow metal post formedfrom a plate bent into a rectangle in cross section, the margins of theplate being bent to form flanges which lie in parallelism and are spacedapart a suitable distance for the oooperation of a door therewith, onewall of the post which is perpendicular to the side of the car beingmaterially longer than the other walls, substantially as'described.

16. A door post forcars composed of a commercial channel bent to form awall perpendicular to the side of the car, a wall parallel to the sideof the car, and a second wall perpendicular to the side of the car, the

two last mentioned walls being materially shorter than said firstmentioned wall, the orignal flanges of the channel lying in parallelismand being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thicknessof the door, substantially as described.

17. A door post for cars composed of a commercial channel bent to form awall perpendicular to the side of the car, a wall .parallel to the sideof the car, and a second acts as a guide and wedge for the forward edgeof the door, substantially as described.

18. A door post for cars composed of a member bent to form a hollowsquare, the marginal edges of the post thus formed being spaced apartwhereby the exposed edge of a wall of thepost which lies parallel to theside of the car is adapted to engage with a sealing flange carried bythe rear edge of a sliding door, substantially as described.

19 In a box car, the combination of door posts and a door, said doorhaving a sealing flange near its rear edge, the post for cooperationwith said flange being in the form of a hollow square, one of themarginal edges of the post being spaced away from its adjacent edge topermit of the entrance of said sealing flange, substantially asdescribed. I

20. In a box car, the combination of door posts which outline the dooropening, said posts being in the form of a hollow square outside ofwhich the door slides, the marginal edges of the post bein spaced apart,a sealing strip carried by t e rear of the door and adapted to cooperatewith an exposed portion of'said hollow post, and a single interiorsheathing applied to said posts, substantially as described.

21. A metal door post for box carsin the form of a hollow square havinga longitudinal opening at one of its angles the space being open towardthe rear edge of the door, substantially as described.

22. A metal door post for box cars having four rectangular sides openfor its full length at one of its angles, and lying altogether outsidethe car sheathing, substantially as described.

23. In a box car, the combination of sheathing, a metal post having fourrectangular sides open for its full length at one of its angles, lyingaltogether outside of and detachably secured to the carv sheathing andrigidly secured to the car frame at the sill and top plate,substantially as described.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day of Feb, 1917.

WILLIAM E. FOWLER, SR.

Witnesses:

C. V. MURRAY, T. D. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

